TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A campaign truck for Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) became stuck under a city gate dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) on Sunday night (Dec. 24) after its driver failed to correctly judge the height of the underpass.
The truck became lodged under the Hengchun West Gate in Pingtung County, which is a registered national monument, and required police assistance to get out. Police stated on Monday that if the gate was damaged, the incident would be referred to the relevant local authorities for investigation.
The TPP’s local branch Chair Lin Yu-hsien (林育先) told CNA that the truck was sponsored by local TPP supporters, but said that he would cooperate with subsequent investigation efforts. Lin said that after visiting the scene of the incident, he was able to identify a mark possibly caused by the impact.
TPP vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) reportedly declined to comment on the matter when asked about it on the campaign trail in Kaohsiung on Monday morning.
The gate forms part of the remaining Hengchun Old City Wall which was built over 140 years ago. Including the West Gate, four gates remain intact, while only portions of the wall, that once surrounded the whole of Hengchun town, remain.
Under Taiwan’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, damaging a national monument is punishable by up to a five-year prison sentence and a fine of between NT$500,000 (US$16,077) to NT$20,000,000.
